Gorge-ous Weekend

I was invited to demonstrate spinning this weekend was Gorge Falls Fest, put on by the US Forest Service and Friends of Multnomah Falls, which meant I had to pack up my wheel, along with all the accessories, tools, and LOTS of fiber! I found this large wheeled bag in Goodwill several months ago for $7 (What a bargain!), and have been using it to transport everything for Spinnerati meetings and demonstrations. Much easier than carrying the wheel and lots of bags and baskets!

The wheel gets folded up and cushioned with bags of fiber before being strapped in.

The front holds the flyers, bobbins, etc. I put a yoga mat over the wheel before I zip the bag closed; it cushions the wheel in transport and then gets put on the ground under the wheel when I'm spinning outdoors. I use the outside pockets for the camera, phone, wallet, my tea thermos and water bottle, and any small things I might need. Everything fits inside the bag except my folding chair.

The Fest was scheduled to start at 10:00, so ToolMan and I planned to be at Multnomah Falls by 9;30, which meant we needed to leave home early. We actually arrived about 9:00, which was a good thing, since parking was already becoming scarce!

There were several tents set up by various organizations. This was the Folk Art Tent which was organized by Teresa Kastner (that's her behind the gorgeous blanket). She collects trade beads and was displaying her collection as well demonstration beading techniques. There was also a quilter (on the right side of the tent), but I was so busy all day that I didn't get a chance to move out of my chair, let alone talk to her!

The tent had tables set up with space inside to sit, but I wanted the wheel to be out in full view, so I opted to use the table as a backdrop. I had my fiber supply out, a basket with some CD drop spindles left over from WWKIP, some skeins of my hand spun yarns, and some little samples of different fibers.

We had taken our small so I used it for my toolbag, lazy kate, ball winder, and the coffee and tea cups, of course! They also provided plenty of chairs, so ToolMan snagged one. By the time I got everything unpacked and started spinning, it was almost 10:00.

It wasn't long before the crowds began to grow and people were stopping by to watch and ask questions.



I had some really bright roving from StitchJones in her Cosmic Birth colorway, which really caught people's attention and really appeals to kids. I tore it off into sections by color, so I could "barberpole" the colors, showing how yarn is plied. I'd give them the short version of how a wheel works to twist the fibers and show them how the fibers get stronger by twisting.





If the kids (and occasionally a parent) were interested, I'd bring them beside me, put on a new color of fiber, show them how to draft in the Inchworm Technique (pinch, pull, slide), then let them spin a foot or so. They'd get this big grin on their face and say "Oh, I get it!" Then I'd pull out the single they had just spun, make them hold the join, pull off the same length of the previous color, break the single and let the yarn twist in mid-air and give it to them as a souvenir. Their were many happy faces!


I don't know how many kids I taught, there were a lot; sometimes they were lined up 3 and 4 deep! I started with about 4 ounces of roving to start with and by about 2:00, I was out of it! Since it was being spun and plied at sport weight and given away in lengths of less than a foot, there must have been a bunch of kids who learned spin that day.



I was glad I put out the CD spindles and some fiber. There were several people who asked in-depth questions about learning to spin, so I was able to give away a spindle with a little bunch of fiber (and StitchJones business card for more fiber) to 3 or 4 people who were really interested.

I also had some of my hand spun skeins out for display. I tried to pick a variety of colors, weights, and fibers to display. I actually sold a couple of skeins to one woman who was visiting; she's a knitter so she wanted them as souvenirs. I guess that makes me a "professional" spinner; I'll have to ask the CPA if that means I can deduct the costs of spinning.

One of my spinning sisters, Sara Ferguson, had volunteered to come join me but would come later; she has a teething toddler and the family's activities are dependent on his moods, at least until those four molars that he's working on pop out. My cellphone rang about 1:30 and it was her husband; the whole family had all been up all night with Connor's teething and had gotten a late start. They had been circling the parking lot for nearly 45 minutes, unsuccessfully, and were heading back home. I knew Sara was disappointed and asked if she was crying; his response was "Not yet." Well, she must have talked him into more more time around, because pretty soon, there there were! Sara set up her wheel and spun while her husband, Jesse, took the kids around to the various booths to explore.

By the time she arrived, I had run out of the pretty colors and had moved onto some white wool that I was carding with dyed mohair locks. She was spinning a beautiful blue/purple BFL in a worsted laceweight, so I switched over to some carded Jacob to spin woolen style using longdraw.

The crowd of children was thinning out (probably nap time!), but more adults were asking questions. The gentleman on the left had his video camera and took several minutes of us spinning; he was asking questions about spinning, fibers, preparation, etc. I didn't get a chance to talk to him; I wonder if he was a teacher filming for a class or maybe for his grandchildren?

Sara's a new spinner, she's only had her wheel for a couple of months, but she has become quite accomplished. This was also the first time she had spun for demonstrations, but she answered questions quite well.

All too soon, the crowd thinned out, it was 4:00 and Jesse came back with Erin and Connor. Erin is 6 and already a knitter (she's been knitting since she was 4). Sara reported that a few weeks ago, they were in Knit Purl when Erin picked up a skein of Koigu and said she "needed" it. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

I had about an ounce of the Cosmic Birth singles left, so I wound a center pull ball and plied it back on itself then wound a skein. The colors aren't really my cuppa tea, but I asked Erin if she'd like to take it home for her stash and she nodded enthusiastically.

Before long, we were all packed up and heading for home after a gorgeous day in the Gorge. We were tired, hungry, and thirsty, but we had a great time. Sara and I were already making plans for next year and how we're going to get there early and what we need to bring with us. I don't how your weekend was, but I hope it was half as nice as ours!

WWKIP 2009

Last Westside Wednesday, the goal was to get swag bags stuffed in time for WWKIP 2009. Tami had strong armed asked for a couple of people to make bags (we expected little drawstring bags and BOY were we surprised when these showed up!


















Debbie made 20 of these bags with little pockets on the outside, and Sara made 20 of these little market bags.
























These gals got some mad sewing skillz, I tell ya! This is the bag I got on Saturday; I didn't have a chance to get pictures of all the bags together before Saturday.

Tami had also put hits out on recruited local yarn shops, indie dyers, Etsy shop owners, and pattern writters to provide goodies so the bags were amply filled! She used her gangster persuasion skills to get the Westside Wednesday gals to help her stuff bags.



















Tami has a great post from last Wednesday with a description of the swag, so hop on over there to see details.

A couple weeks ago, Noriko (Yea gawds, I hope I spelled that right!) showed up with a Country Craftsman spinning wheel she had just bought on craigslist the day before, and pleaded for help. Sheila and I took a look at the wheel which was in pretty good shape, got a driveband tied on for her, oiled up the wheel, and got her started. Then this week, she shows up with her first skein of handspun.


























Would you just look at that skein? Perfectly balanced, even and ply, and beautifully consistent right out of the gate. She's a natural!

Saturday was WWKIP and Tami had arranged for our Westside event to be held at the Glen and Viola Walters Cultural Art Center. Although we had advertised to begin at 10, people had heard about the bags for the first 40 attendees and were already on-site almost an hour early!

This pic was taken at 9:15 and that's Tami standing in the middle, wondering just how big this crowd is going to get!



















I set up a table with a basket full of drop spindles and fiber to give free lessons on drop spinning, and Tami had bite-size pastries. By 10, we had a table full of yarn for swapping, a table full of swag bags, baskets full of door prizes, and a band of restless natives on our hands. At 10, when Tami told them to line up for bags, it was a near stampede!



















No sooner were the bags in their hands, than the examinations began. Knitters and crocheters could be heard oohing and ahhing over the goodies and the bags.



















We were also collecting squares for Larissa's Barn Raising Quilt, premie hats for Aunties in Stitches, and baby blankets for Baby Love. As soon as the tribe of wild indians crowd was bribed into submission appeased with their bags, I offered skeins of yarn in exchange for the first three premie hats knitted during the event. First prize was a skein of 800+ yards of cashmere laceweight. These gals were on this like ducks on junebugs! Barely 30 minutes had passed when Carissa showed up in front of my table, premie hat in hand.



















She was one of the vendors who supplied samples for the bags, so I was really glad she got the skein of cashmere. Pretty soon, the second and third place winners claimed their skeins and the premie hats were rolling in. I got 9 premie hats, and I know Tami collected at least a few squares for the Barn Raising Quilt.

Pretty soon, the girls from Kathy's Knit Korner and The Knitting Bee girls showed up with their door prizes. They gave out numbered tickets and gave away skeins of yarn, knitting bags, and books. I got this cool knitting bag, perfect for knitting on my MAX commute.



















Notice how it coordinates with the swag bag I picked? I'll be one stylin' knitter on the train; LOL!

At the end of the event, Judy and I found a cone of angora blend still on the table; we are both lace knitters so we practically swooned at the halo on this and we agreed to split it. I wound it into balls yesterday and deciphered the label inside the cone. It said "40% lambswool, 50% angora, 10% nylon" and "Sandison's Real Shetland Yarns, 2-ply lace yarn, Shetland Isles."



















Cindy, Rachel, and the other knit bloggers will have posts up soon, so check them out for their report of the event, too. There was a lady from the Cultural Arts Center who took pictures and burned them onto a CD that she gave to Tami, who posted them on Picasa along with her pictures. Go here to look at them. There was a reporter from the Hillsboro Argus was there taking pictures and talking to lots of people, so I'll have ToolMan pick up a copy on Monday to see what they wrote.

I have some knitting completed, some spinning in progress, some knitting in the planning stage, and a pattern being written, but it's getting late and this post is long enough, so you'll have to wait to hear about all those things. Right now, I need to get to bed because I've got work tomorrow. 'Til then, I'll see you in the funny pages.

Coming all undone

I forgot to tell you in my last post that I picked up another couple of sweaters to unravel at Goodwill last week.

The first was a man's XL pullover from Gap in a dusty periwinkle blue 100% lambswool.




















"Was" being the operative word here as it is now 1,372 yards of lovely worsted weight in my stash.

And another cashmere! This one a man's LX pullover in a beautiful green/blue heather; and brand new! It's still got the original tags attached so it was never worn.




















This one is now 5,364 yards of 2-ply laceweight in my stash. I've already decided that part of this will become a Balmoral shawl from Marianne Kinzel's Second Book of Lace Knitting. I can't wait to start it!

Short 'n Sweet

ToolMan's surgery went very well. He's complaining a bit about his eye feeling scratchy but otherwise, all is well. He is able to do without glasses most of the time, so far needing them only to read.

I'm still slogging along on the Clapotis. Since my hand spun is lighter weight than the pattern calls for, I'm making it a bit longer and wider, but I'm down to the decrease rows and will probably have it as an FO for next week's post.

I'm still spinning on Sharon's Earth Angel; I started the third bobbin today at Spinnerati.

Speaking of Spinnerati, this weekend was our monthly meeting. Much smaller this time, but what fun! We met in the South Park Blocks downtown. The turnout wasn't great, probably because it was Sunday morning and because the forecast was a bit iffy.

I got there early and was setting up when a woman on the other side of the park pointed at the object I had (my Lendrum) and said, "Is that a sewing machine?" I replied that no, it was a spinning wheel. She asked "What do you do with it?" and I replied that I was part of a group that meets to spin yarn. "So you get together and make quilts! How nice!"

Pretty soon, Angela (Girly With a Twist) and Rachel (trtlgrlcrafts), still with trtlbby, were there.

Angela bought one of these cup holders for her Joy; Rachel must have been jealous that they don't make one for the Ashford Traveler so she and her DH came up with a version of their own.
























OK, so it might not be as "elegant" as the ones on Etsy, but it works! They used an old bobbin which was missing one end to make a platform for the bottom of the cup so it slides down on the metal post on her wheel. Pretty crafty!
























Melissa (knitfemme) brought the Journey Wheel and was treadling along fine until disaster struck.



















Rachel and I took the end down the park and untangled it while Melissa treadled it back on so not a single fiber was lost.

We got several people who stopped to look at our wheels, ask questions, or ask what we were doing. One of the Portland Walking Tour groups came through the Park Blocks and stopped to ask what we were doing. One lady walked up and said, "Well I see Lendrums and Joys, but I don't know what these are", pointing to the Rachel's Ashford Traveler and the Journey Wheel. She said she only spins a little so we tried, unsuccessfully, to lure her in but she was with friends on the way to church services. I was going to take a picture of the group, but a passerby kindly offered to take one of all of us.

Left to right: Rachel, Angela, me, Duffy (fiberqat) in back, Melissa in front, and Melinda (gldelx). Melinda says "gldelx" is pronounced "Goldilocks". I think it's "Girl Deluxe".



















Next week is WWKIP, so it'll be a long post. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Itty Bitty Projects

It was a itty bitty week full of itty bitty projects.

I've been spinning this 100% Merino from StitchJones in her "Earth Angel" colorway which is going to be some itty bitty yarn. I finished the second bobbin today.



















I regularly listen to Yarnspinners Tales on my MP3 player during my MAX commute, and last week she mentioned a video of her daughter, Digital Durga [Ravelry link], spinning tencel. Well, watching it made a world of difference in my lace spinning. I got lace weight before but when finished it was "puffy", for lack of a better description; sure, it was thin, sometimes 18 to 20 WPI, but what it wasn't was the thin, firm lace weight that's available commercially. But it is now! I'm not sure what this will be, but it is so much fun watching the color change on the bobbin as I spin!

Then there has been itty bitty knitting and itty bitty finishing. On Sunday, my friend Maryanne came over for an afternoon of crafting, catching up, and limeade on the deck. She's just back from a visit to her son stationed in England and stops by her home in Ohio both going and coming. The family had found a big box of craft projects left by her mother, and one was a knitted cardigan which she needed help on as Maryanne not a knitter. I've tried to convert her, but when she began lobbying me to try quilting, we called a truce. Well, when Maryanne pulled that project out, I was too dumbfounded to take pictures! It was a kit from Fleisher Yarn, obviously from the early 1950s; the pattern page had 5 versions of a top-down cardigan and balls of "100% virgin wool, mothproof" in a cream color. The cardi had been knit on 14 inch straights, which were still in the bag, along with stitch holders, markers, and the receipts. We couldn't find a year on the receipts, but the kit was $4 and the notions, including needles was $2.16! The cardi turned out to be nearly completed; it was plain stockinette and the only knitting to be done was binding off the bottom ribbing and the sewing up of the sleeve seams since they'd been knitted on straights. Unfortunately, there turned out to be several series of holes in one arm and across the back; not moth holes, but it looked like where the fabric had been folded and come in contact with either the cardboard label or the plastic bag and had "broken". There was nearly a full ball of the yarn, so I was able to darn it after I finished the binding off. Maryanne said she could handle the sewing up. It didn't have buttonholes on the front, so I suggested she get some frogs for it after it gets a nice soaking and blocking. As for the "itty bitty" part: the pattern said "ladies size 12 to 18" but this cardi couldn't have been more than 30 inches around. My, how our clothing sizes have changed in 50 years!

My own itty bitty knitting and finishing consisted of finishing the BSJ for Rachel. I had done everything except the buttons on this, so dug through the button box on Sunday morning and pulled out several options. Maryanne thought the multi-colored pearl buttons were best and I agree. They don't show up especially well in this picture, but they are yellow, pink, green, orange, and blue to match the colors in the yarn. I sewed each on with a different color and then made little loop closures to match whatever color the buttons were sewn on with. This is very stretchy so trtlbby should be able to wear it next fall.

















While I was in the button box, I matched up buttons to attach to a pattern that Cindy is donating for the swag bags for WWKIP. Her pattern for knitted cuffs uses the yarn samples that the indie dyers are donating and calls for two buttons, so I matched up a bunch and put them on safety pins, which can be attached directly to the pattern.



















On Saturday, ToolMan and I had to go to Tigard to have his blood pressure checked (new medication before surgery today), and I took the opportunity to swing into CostPlus World Market and pick up one of their boxes of alpaca fiber. These are $12.95 for 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces); that's a little spendy for dyed alpaca, but hopefully it's helping provide income for a village in Peru.

















The box says the fiber is from Peru and comes from animals raised by indigenous people, then dyed with natural dyes including plants and cochineal. The fiber is pretty good quality, and there are little mini batts of 10 different colors, which I think I'll spin in a rainbow effect and then Andean ply to maintain the color changes.



















I spend some itty bitty time finishing up this yak/merino blend; once I got my long-draw mojo back, I finished the singles in one evening. I plied it on Saturday and finished it on Sunday to dry over the deck rail. I got 196 yards of bulky weight, which is wonderfully soft and squishy. I think this might become a hat for the Christmas gift box as I already have a recipient in mind.

And the last itty bitty project for this week was done this morning: ToolMan had cataract surgery this morning. Talk about itty bitty surgery! We were in the office about 2 hours, but the actual surgery took only about 15 minutes! He has an eye patch until tomorrow, with with he has taken the opportunity to talk like a pirate all day! Ahoy, mateys! I'll be mighty pleased when the ole' sawbones throws it over the side tomorrow! Arggh!